Sophia Graham’s blazing speed led to Yale lacrosse commitment
Sophia Graham has used her top-notch speed to excel in both lacrosse and cross country/track and field at Cicero-North Syracuse. Courtesy of Sophia Graham
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Sophia Graham spends her offseason honing her speed. When it’s not lacrosse season, the Cicero-North Syracuse star is busy running cross country and track.
She knows developing her running makes her stand out on the lacrosse field.
That multi-sport participation has paid off. Graham, a junior midfielder at C-NS, is committed to Yale as the 28th-best recruit in the class of 2027, per Inside Lacrosse. Her speed on the fast break, a trait she developed as an All-CNY sprinter in track, has become her calling card in her lacrosse career. She used that speed to power C-NS to a 2024 state championship and 2025 sectional championship.
“She’s a weapon (in transition),” Northstars girls’ lacrosse head coach Stephanie Prentice said. “So, you can rely on her to always be there and always be able to go 100% at any point during the game.”
Graham first joined Cicero-North Syracuse’s cross country team in seventh grade. She acknowledged running is her “secondary” sport, but it would be hard to tell from her results. She qualified for the state indoor sectional championship in the 1,600 relay and won a sectional championship in the 600-meter event in February 2026.
I'm still putting my all in everything I do, so the same effort is there, but it does make the running a little bit easier for sure.Sophia Graham, Yale women’s lacrosse commit
That 600-meter success translates to the 110-yard lacrosse field. Graham has recorded 42 goals, 58 ground balls, 83 draw controls and 18 forced turnovers in her time at C-NS, and Prentice said her remarkable speed and stamina stem from that track training.
“Having lax coming right off from my indoor track season, it’s really easier to just channel that, and it’s less of a workout,” Graham said. “But, either way, I’m still putting my all into everything I do, so the same effort is there. But, it does make the running a little bit easier, for sure.”
During daily sprints at early-season lacrosse practices, Graham typically led the pack. Now, as a junior on a Cicero-North team that graduated 10 players after its Section III Championship run, Graham takes a leadership role.
She followed the example of fellow C-NS alums such as current Le Moyne College freshman defender Katy Harbold and Vanderbilt freshman midfielder Gabby Putman, who both embarked on a dual-sport path. Now, Graham is encouraging more Northstar lacrosse players to fully put themselves “in-season” all year by participating in track and cross country on top of lacrosse.
“The running, it’s a whole different kind of leadership and ball game,” Prentice said. “It’s more of a mental thing. You have to really learn to push yourself individually.”
The Northstars went on an offensive barrage in 2025 en route to the regional championship, averaging 20.5 goals per game over four playoff matchups. Graham’s breakout sophomore campaign was a big reason behind that success, racking up 33 goals, six assists and 38 ground balls.
Sophia Graham committed to Yale women’s lacrosse in September 2025 as a five-star recruit. Courtesy of Sophia Graham
Her speed on the fast break fuels those numbers, Prentice said. Immediately after collecting a ground ball, she flies up the field to kick-start the offense.
With the start of the 2026 lacrosse season underway, Graham has become a name that opposing coaches and teams are actively game-planning against.
Her Yale commitment makes her stand out even more. On Sept. 2, 2025, Graham committed to the Bulldogs, a perennial top program currently ranked No. 8 in the nation. Yale’s currently off to a 9-2 start, with one of its two losses coming in a one-goal defeat at Syracuse on March 17.
Five days after her recruitment, Graham earned a five-star Inside Lacrosse ranking. But Graham can achieve an even higher peak this spring, with more wins and a chance at tasting the state title again after a shocking semifinal loss last year.
There’s one key ingredient to that success: speed.
“I kind of like to use my speed just to push through,” Graham said. “I always like to be a dominating factor in between the 30s, because I feel like that’s one of the most important parts.”
